Nyaung Shwe - Mandalay
Departure 2013-Dec-16 - 19.00 Arrival 2013-Dec-17 - 3.45
A wine-tasting in Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar was nothing I expected, but it was a pleasant way to say good bye to Inle Lake and, at the same time, a good preparation for the night bus to Mandalay. Leaving at 7PM and knowing the bus would take around 8 hours, it was obvious I would reach Mandalay way to early for the city to be awake. And indeed, at 3.30AM we arrive at the bus stop in Mandalay and it was still pitch black outside!
Instead of getting a ride with a rickshaw or scooter, I decide to walk to the AD1 Hotel. It is close by anyways, and the streets actually are not as dead as I thought they might be. It will be a market day and even though it is not even dawn yet, people are busy preparing their stalls, carrying goods and polishing fruits. I cross a whole area of market streets, passing a lot of stalls and people, some of them looking as sleepy and tired as I feel.
My hotel turns out to be in one of the markets side-streets, right next to a temple. The guys running the place are sleeping when I arrive, surprisingly they do have a room available for me, though. I get at least a few hours of sleep before I start exploring Mandalay during day time.
Mandalay has a few pagodas and places to visit in the center but is more famous for the sights further out. So I decide to rent a bike on one day and explore Mandalay's outskirts by scooter the next.
The city has an awkward feel to it, almost like a boarder town. It is vast, but somehow feels small, architecture is modern. In the center is the hugh palace which takes up an area of 2.5x2.5 km. It had been destroyed many years ago and recently rebuild, and I decide to skip this site.
Going out to U Bein bride (the worlds longest teak-bridge) in the South of Mandalay, is a lot more exciting than walking around in the palace. Monks and vendors are crossing the bridge alongside tourists from all over the world. Close by are many weaving factories and I enjoy strolling around, sneaking into the halls where screaming looms are running.
For my last evening in Mandalay (and Myanmar) I decide to watch the sunset from Mandalay Hill. Never has a guidebook recommended to watch sunrises/sunsets as often as in Myanmar. I wonder is it because there is nothing else to recommend?! However, I admit it really is beautiful to watch the sun slowly disappearing behind skyline or temples, the atmospheres slowly changing.
So as recommended, I walk up a few hundred stairs to Mandalay Hill. What I didn't expect was the embelished pagoda on Mandalay Hill. It is covered in zillions of little mirrors and sparkls in the sunlight. It is aw-amazing wandering around in between buddhas, artworks and brightly painted/decorated walls. Seeing all these different mosaic-shapes, patterns and colors, I am fascinated that someone came up with this crazy kaleidoscope-like temple. I have a hard time leaving when the sun finally disappears and it is getting dark in Mandalay.
